Right-wing extremist incidents have occurred in the Hessian police for months. As a consequence, the interior minister convenes a commission of experts. This warns in clear words against inaction.
Wiesbaden – An independent commission of experts is demanding extensive reforms from the Hessian police in the fight against right-wing extremism in their own ranks.
“A critical moment has been reached for the police in Hesse,” said the chairman of the committee, Angelika Nussberger, in Wiesbaden on Monday. The large number of outrageous and sensational incidents led to a significant loss of confidence in the population. The reforms must therefore come quickly and sustainably so that the new beginning is immediately visible to everyone.
The background for the appointment of the expert group was the unauthorized police data queries in connection with the right-wing extremist “NSU-2.0” threatening letters. Most of the recipients of the threatening letters were public figures. In early May, the alleged perpetrator of the series was arrested. There are also investigations by the public prosecutor into chats by Hessian police officers with right-wing extremist content.
Police officers shared fantasies of violence and annihilation
The former Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights spoke of shocking images in the chats of the police. According to the vice-chairman of the commission, Jerzy Montag, the chats involved right-wing extremist, racist, anti-Semitic and inhumane content. The Holocaust was played down and denied and disabled people and people of different skin color were insulted. It was about violence and extermination fantasies.
The language in the chats was raw, hateful, completely devoid of empathy and full of xenophobia, said the legal expert and former Green MP. There is no known case that a member of the chat group objected to this or reported the incidents to a supervisor. The Commission’s discussions with police officers have shown that many officials have no knowledge of this specific content, “which takes your breath away”. That is why it is important to name “horses and riders” within the police. This is the only way to create awareness and counteract trivializations.
The growing right-wing extremism in the police, the special task force and the Bundeswehr, as well as in the professional fire brigades, is the greatest threat to security and democracy, warned Monday. “There are still individuals and organized minorities, but it is important to defend against the beginnings.” The federal government and the states are still not sufficiently ready to defend themselves against this challenge. “Hessen must set an example and show that it has the ambition to take on a pioneering role in the fight against right-wing extremism throughout Germany,” demanded Nussberger.
In the future, police candidates will be checked?
Specifically, in their recommendations, the experts made a strong case for future police candidates to be regularly checked by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution before being hired. Interior Minister Peter Beuth (CDU) announced that he would propose to the government coalition of the CDU and the Greens a corresponding change in Hessian security laws. “We must do all we can to prevent known extremists from joining the ranks of the police.” It is important to check all prospective police officers across the board and on a regular basis. This also included their social media activities, within the framework of the legal possibilities.
There must be a new model for the Hessian police, was another recommendation of the experts. Education and training as the linchpin of a resilient and learning organization must be strengthened in personnel development. It is also about data protection and dealing with victims. In principle, misconduct in the police should be openly communicated both internally and externally.
The recommendations of the commission underlined that a self-critical and contemporary error culture is essential in order to protect trust in the Hessian police, stressed Beuth. The honest officials among the 20,000 police workers did not deserve their work to be viewed with suspicion.
The opposition in the Hessian state parliament saw the commission report uncovered a large number of omissions that had lasted for decades. The situation with the security forces should no longer be belittled. The interior minister learned nothing from the incidents of the past months and years. dpa
